Express-News Athletic Assn. sponsored Ice Capades, boxing

I had never heard of the Express-News Athletic Association until I noticed this ad in the Nov. 2, 1958, Express and News.

What was the Association and why was it sponsoring the Ice Capades? (And yes, that is a skating hippo.)

According to an ad for the News in the Sept. 7, 1954, Express, “[y]ears ago, the morning Express and evening News formed a separate organization, The Express-News Athletic Association, for the purpose of encouraging healthful entertainment and recreation for the people in this area…”

The ad went on to say”…literally hundreds of thousands of Southwest Texans have enjoyed it’s [sic] outstanding attractions such as the Golden Gloves boxing, Holiday on Ice, professional tennis, championship softball, women’s professional golf, college basketball, Olympic boxing, Soap Box Derby, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, plus many others … [including the upcoming]…professional football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles….”

All advertising space promoting the events was donated by the two newspapers, as well as “many hours of time and talent” of its employees. Net proceeds of the events were committed “to the erection in the future of a huge recreational center for the youth of this city.” I did not discover whether that plan was achieved.

A Dec. 31, 1948, story in the Express went into detail about the events sponsored that year by the association — and the “thousands of dollars…spent in fixing up playing fields, giving valuable trophies, banquets and the like.” Under the banquet category was an annual football banquet honoring all-city and “Little Giant” teams.

When Sports columnist and legend Dan Cook retired and then later passed away, his passion for the Golden Gloves tournament was usually mentioned. I’d always wondered how he’d gotten so involved. A 2008 story about a former champion mentioned that Cook “organized the event, wrote the stories, drove the bus to the state tournament in Fort Worth and did everything but strap on the gloves himself.”

I found many ads for readers to send in to the Sports Department for tickets to events the association sponsored. And then we’d write a story on the event. Today, our editors would insist on more separation — but things were a bit more free-wheeling back then.